As promised, the next chapter of PD.
CHAPTER 29: Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail
She was on tenterhooks as the sun dipped lower towards the horizon. Through the dirt on the small barred window in the bathroom she could just about see the grey sky turning orange. She and Brian didn't have long until night fell when they would have to make their escape from their cell.
"Are you sure about this?"
Brian hung back at the door to the bathroom, looking at her with trepidation. When she'd demonstrated her 'trick' to him, she'd had to physically calm him down. He had completely freaked and just stared at her with frightened eyes.
It was then she'd decided to tell him who she really was. She was breaking all sorts of government non-disclosure rules, but at that point she felt she had no choice. If he was going to trust her with his life, he needed to know the whole truth.
"He's going to hurt me, Brian. It's only a matter of time. I wanna leave before that happens, before I'm forced to do something that I can't ever take back."
Brian nodded in resignation. He didn't like taking the risk, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her. He was the reason she was kidnapped in the first place, but it was she who was going to suffer the most at the hands of one of their captors.
He had two daughters, and the thought of anyone harming them in the way Ricky intended filled him with nausea and rage. Cassie was an innocent girl, and he had to man up to help her escape an awful fate.
"Ok. Then let's do this."
Cassie watched the remaining daylight wink out into black and then followed Brian back to the main room. They sat on their respective beds, waiting for their evening meal to arrive.
The plan was to eat up then get ready for their journey. Once the guards came back to remove their food trays, they would implement their plan.
When the trays finally came, surprisingly heavy with microwaved but not awful food, Cassie didn't think she could swallow any of it. She forced herself to consume the entire meal, and to stash some of the slightly stale bread rolls that came with it in her hoodie pockets. Brian did the same with the apples.
They both used the bathroom to clean up before donning their winter jackets, which had been mercifully left with their owners when they'd been taken outside Sam's house. Without some kind of protection from the cold, Cassie doubted they would make it very far.
They strategically moved the small dining table further into the room, so that the guards would have to enter all the way inside to collect the trays. It would bring the guard into closer proximity to Cassie, and give her more room to hurl him against the wall without any of the other guards seeing.
"If you get a chance, make sure to grab any weapon he has on him," she whispered to Brian.
She felt terrified about not having any sort of backup. Jack always said it was essential to have a solid team behind you on missions if it was to succeed. Like it or not, she only had Brian as her backup, and he needed something to defend himself.
The sound of the door unlocking left no more time for self-doubt.
Cassie glanced at Brian and gave him a nervous, but encouraging smile.
As predicted, the guard came in, saw that the table had been moved, and closed the door behind him. He didn't seem suspicious of their furniture moving escapade, probably assuming that they were bored and had taken up Feng Shui.
He began gathering up the trays without a word.
Cassie focused her gaze on him, summoning the emotions she'd previously felt while practicing with the shampoo bottle.
The tray the guard was sorting out suddenly slid across the surface of the table and hovered at the edge.
The guard instantly stepped back, startled. "What the..."
Cassie and Brian shared a terrified look.
Without thinking, Brian launched himself at the guard, toppling himself and the slimmer man to the tiled floor. Brian pulled back, grabbed the winded guard's head and pounded it up and down against the floor until the man lost consciousness.
Cassie bit her lip and covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. The unexpected show of violence from the seemingly docile Brian had scared her frozen.
Brian scuttled back on his hands and feet to get away from the unconscious man, appalled at what he'd done. He silently sobbed at the gravity of his actions, not realizing that he had that sort of rage inside of him.
Cassie lowered her hand and continued to stare at the unmoving body. "Is he…?" she glanced at Brian who shook his head.
She regained some of her composure and forced herself to kneel down and check for the man's pulse. She reached her hand over to search for his carotid pulse, when suddenly his hand grabbed her wrist.
Cassie screamed this time, and tried to pull her hand away from the tight grip of the now conscious guard. Without conscious thought she flicked her other hand towards him and sent the guard flying to the other side of the room, his body making a sickening thud against the painted concrete wall.
He slid down, his head marking the white wall with a streak of red, and his body crumpled like a rag doll on the tiled floor.
Cassie and Brian could merely stare aghast at the shattered body lying not six feet from them. Brian glanced briefly at Cassie before regaining function of his limbs. He got to his knees, then to his feet, and cautiously crossed the room where the body lay.
Without looking at the man's face, Brian methodically went through his pockets, grabbing whatever useful weapon he could find. There was a pistol with a full clip of ammunition,the keys to the door, and another set of keys that according to the key fob belonged to a Land Rover.
He quickly pocketed his loot, keeping the pistol at hand to protect him and Cassie.
"Come on. We have to go," he said, leading her towards the door. He gingerly cracked open the door and checked both directions before pulling Cassie behind him.
"This way," he whispered quietly, heading towards the right corridor. He'd seen what looked to be an exit when they'd brought him out for interrogation; a guard had just come in from a smoke, dragging in cold air from the outside and the pungent smell of cheap tobacco.
His assessment had been right, and he immediately spotted the exit door at the end of another short corridor. He had no idea if the door was alarmed or if there were men behind that door, but he knew that they only had one way out and that was it.
He gave Cassie an expectant look.
"I don't know what's out there. I need you to be prepared… to do what you did earlier… again," he said, leaving no mistake as to what he meant.
She had to be prepared to kill again.
Cassie clenched her fists beside her and agreed with a nod.
Brian checked once again that his weapon's safety was off before casually opening the door, as if he was just going out for a break. A lot of black and bitter cold assaulted them, the only available light cast by a lone security light mounted at the side of the building.
The guard leaning against the wall near the door was about to ignore him, until Cassie followed Brian briskly through the opening. Even before the guard could react, she waved her hand just below her waist and slammed him hard against the concrete wall where he'd been leaning.
Brian looked around quickly, paranoid that their movements had been heard or that someone had found the guard's mangled body inside.
When no alarm was raised, he signalled for Cassie to follow him further into the darkness. He'd spotted what looked like a vehicle parked just a hundred yards from the doors they'd exited from. It was hard to tell from the dim light that the half moon provided, but Brian knew his cars and he was sure that shape of vehicle was the one paired to the pilfered keys in his pocket.
Once they were only feet away, Brian halted their steps and took another look around the area where the car was parked and the building behind them. With no sign of pursuit or guards watching the vehicle, he pulled Cassie forward, until they were standing by the mud covered Land Rover.
He held his breath as he slowly opened the driver side door, terrified that it would make a racket. When it opened without incident, he slid the key into the ignition, half-afraid it wouldn't fit.
He let out the breath he was holding when it clicked into place.
"We can't turn the engine on until we're far enough away from the building. Do you know how to drive a stick shift?"
Cassie looked mildly affronted. "Of course! Jack insisted on it."
Brian almost laughed at her offended expression. "Good. You'll have to drive. It's a good thing we're up a hill. Keep it in neutral and disengage the parking brake. I'm gonna push it down the hill and you're gonna steer."
Cassie hopped into the driver seat and did as instructed. Brian got behind the vehicle and managed to shift it a bit. "Cass? I think I might need your help," he told her in a strained voice.
Cassie realized what he meant, and jumped out of the vehicle, one hand holding the steering wheel, her hand and shoulders braced against the inside edge of the windshield, the driver door wedged open by her slight body.
The adrenaline still pumping in her bloodstream gave her enough energy to push the car forward into sufficient momentum to reach the crest of the hill.
"Get in!" she told Brian in a loud whisper. She clumsily jumped back to her seat and shut the hanging door beside her. A few seconds later, Brian appeared beside the passenger side and yanked at the door. He scrambled in as the vehicle accelerated down the steep unpaved road.
Cassie didn't dare turn on the headlights, knowing from her physics class just how visible light was in this sort of darkness. She had to put all her concentration on not driving the car into a ditch or ramming it against a tree.
She thanked whoever was up there for giving the moon sufficient light to guide their way. It was small mercies that the road was wide enough that she just about see the outline of it as she steered the car as quickly as she could.
The engine sounded unnaturally loud when she'd turned it over at the foot of the hill.
"Turn the lights on and floor it, Cass. They'll find the guards anytime now. We have to get as far away from here as possible. "
Cassie flicked on the high beams and put her foot down. The engine roared to life and they shot forward further into the night.
Back in Colorado, another long day was just beginning for Janet Fraiser. She hadn't gone home since she'd learned of Cassie's disappearance. She couldn't bring herself to come home to an empty house, missing her daughter's boisterous energy giving life to every room.
A part of her had sighed in relief when she'd found out that Cass had chosen a college so close to home. It meant having her around on the weekends even if she lived in Denver. When Cassie announced that she was going for Commissioned Officer Training (COT) once she graduated from med school, an upswell of pride rose inside Janet that her adopted daughter would follow in her footsteps.
She'd never imagined that she would get a chance at motherhood after the bitter divorce from her useless ex-husband. She'd written that part of her life off when she'd decided to focus on her career in medicine. It was only through tragedy and her overwhelming compassion for a young Hankan girl that threw open that door, and allowed so much love and life back into her heart.
Cassie in her enthusiasm for life, her ability to move on so swiftly from life's tragedies, made Janet believe that second chances did exist, and it could be beautiful.
Because of her daughter, she became closer to Sam, becoming true friends and confidants. The then-Major had been so caught up in her own career, her experiments, her team, that she had no life to speak of outside the mountain. It was their love for Cassie that forced them to look beyond the Air Force and see life through the young woman's eyes.
This was why it hurt so much when she'd come back and found that Cassie had moved on, in fact had grown stronger without her around. She'd felt almost surplus to requirements, and this latest thing with Cassie lying about her whereabouts hurt Janet deeply.
She swiped at her watery eyes, castigating herself for losing it at work of all places. Jack, Daniel and Paul were out there trying to find the ones responsible for Brian Vogler's disappearance and in turn, Cassie's. They'd had to go halfway around the world to do it.
The Russians were threatening to pull out of their deal with Homeworld Security and it was somehow connected with Kinsey and the NID, who they suspect were the ones who'd taken Brian Vogler and Cassandra. Jack was convinced that once he got Kinsey to talk, they would know who'd taken Cassie and where to retrieve her.
It was a lot of hope being pinned on that theory, and Janet was well aware that it was only a guess. There was a big chance that Kinsey knew nothing or would refuse to reveal what he knew. What they would do after that, she had no idea.
She felt so helpless having to rely on others to find her daughter. At least when Cassie had been sick and being manipulated by Nirti, she'd been in the thick of it. She had something tangible to figure out. She had a purpose, even if that purpose was to threaten to shoot a System Lord dead if she didn't give her the cure for Cassie's illness.
So many people were working on finding Cassie and convincing the Russians they weren't all Goa'uld hosts. As far as she knew, Sam was still assigned to Area 51, but the Colonel had not hesitated to stay on at the SGC until the whole mess was sorted out.
Sam, Jonas, and Teal'c were all working flat out with the now legitimate office of the NID to flush out the Trust operatives that were operating on US soil. The Trust was an international cabal, and it wasn't always easy to get information on the actual scale of their operations overseas.
Agent Malcolm Barrett had made it his top priority to eliminate the rogue group of NID agents, but whenever he caught one, they'd be more scurrying out of the woodworks only to scatter and disappear out of his department's reach.
It was a necessary, but thankless and frustrating job, and Janet didn't envy the agent. Janet knew the only reason Barrett was so willing to divulge what he knew to the SGC, was his not so hidden affection for Sam.
Sam had no qualms exploiting the Agent's feelings for her when it came to getting Cassie back safely. It made Janet feel guilty that her friend would use someone in such a way, but as a mother, she couldn't help but be grateful to her friend. She knew that the SGC would move heaven and earth to bring back one of their own. The SGC left no one behind.
"Doc?"
Dave Dixon stuck his head into her office when she hadn't responded to his sharp rap on her partially shut door.
Janet rubbed her tired eyes before looking up at the Colonel. She knew he was in command while Reynolds was off-world and General Hammond was resting. He jumped at the chance to be earthside while Jack was gone, covering for Colonel Reynolds, the base 2IC, and when Hammond was off duty. It meant he could work the day shift and still go home for the night to be with his kids and pregnant wife.
The scientist of his team, Dr. Balinsky was at the labs covering for Daniel and Jonas. Bosworth was with SG-2 under Colonel Ferretti's command, and Simon Wells was finally taking his long delayed paternity leave that didn't involve recovery from a staff wound.
"What is it Dave?"
"We've just had a friendly come through the gate. I didn't want to wake the General. It's a Tok'ra. He's looking for General Carter."
Janet sighed. "Sam?"
"She and the rest of SG-1 aren't back yet. I tried her cell. No answer."
"She's probably with Agent Barrett on another raid."
"You wanna take this, or should I wake the General?"
Janet closed the file she'd been trying to work on, and grabbed her lab coat slung behind her chair. "Don't bother. Dealing with the Tok'ra always raises his blood pressure. He's on strict medical orders to take it easier. I'll deal with this."
Dave grinned in understanding, feeling a kinship with General Hammond, having been forced to endure Janet's lecture on proper nutrition and stress management, or as he called it: Fraiser's Mother Hen spiel. Having nearly five kids and a combat role apparently made Dave a high risk patient in her book.
He figured it was only a matter of time until she caught on that he was having most of his meals at work instead of at home, because of Lainie's current obsession with organic, minimally processed, low-fat, kale-laden, quinoa-rich, gluten-free foods. All he knew was that his grocery bills had shot up, and he was still left hungry. Due to his wife's delicate condition - basically he thought the baby was making her nuts - he was going to take the coward's way out and abandon his children to their mother's questionable cooking, while he enjoyed Master DuLac's divine creations. The man's southern cooking was to die for. Even Dave's sausagey post-gumbo burps tasted amazing.
"How's Lainie doing?" Janet asked as they boarded the elevators from Level 21, which housed the SGC's medical facilities, down to Level 27 where the briefing room was located.
"Well on her way to joining the granola brigade… I tell ya, Doc, if she turns vegan, I'm taking the kids to my mother's."
"I doubt you'd survive a commercial flight with four kids to St. Paul."
"Who says we're flying commercial? I found some great rates for the kids if they go in the cargo hold."
Dave made no secret of how his kids regularly drove him nuts. They were great kids, and he loved them dearly, but their unwillingness to snap to attention when he barked out a command, was a contentious issue with him and the kids. Lainie had tried to explain to him over and over again that they weren't under his command, but Dave insisted that a family unit was very similar to that of a military unit, and as their father, he was in charge.
"Besides, I've dealt off-world with Balinsky at a regular basis, not to mention babysitting Felger, Coombs, and that pompous idiot Doctor Hamilton. It's practically the same thing."
"As I recall, you zatted Hamilton."
"He wouldn't leave that damned weather balloon alone, even when I told him a huge electrical storm was brewing… Plus he called me a 'breeder'. He totally deserved it."
"A 'breeder'?"
"He had the nerve to accuse me of singlehandedly trying to repopulate the world with more aggressive 'jar heads'. The idiot works for the military and can't even distinguish between the different branches. No wonder he's not getting laid."
Janet had to suppress her amusement at the ever-present friction between military personnel and civilian scientists. It was probably a good thing that most of the scientists were squared away on Levels 18 and 19, creating a demarcation line of concrete floors and piping from the hostile, easily provoked, military contingent.
"Did the Tok'ra say what they wanted with General Carter?" Janet asked, changing the subject.
"You know how tight-lipped they are."
"If you think dealing with civilians is bad, try working with the Tok'ra."
"I heard about your run in with that hot number! What's her name again?"
"Freya and Anise."
"Louis wouldn't stop talking about her. I heard she's got the hots for Jack."
"Which one? The host or the symbiote?"
"Who cares-" Janet shot him a dark look, and Dave quickly caught himself. "Ferretti said he wasn't sure."
"I swear, this whole base is a hot bed of speculation and rumors. It's worse than a high school," Janet lamented.
"That's what you get when you have such a tight knit environment. You can't expect much privacy. Hey, it's not like we can chat about our work with anyone else. Outside of Lainie and the kids, this is effectively the only family we've got around here. Both our folks are back in Minnesota. "
"Mine's back in Texas," Janet provided in agreement. "I have a real hard time hiding things from my mother. It's probably a good thing she's down south."
"Did you offer our guests some refreshments?" Janet asked as they made their way down the corridor that led to the conference room. "I know the Tok'ra practically survive on their version of MREs."
"Didn't think of it. It might explain why they always look like someone shoved a stick up their ass."
Janet grinned mischievously. "Sounds uncomfortable."
"Ha!" Dave exclaimed in accusation. "You would know." The CMO conducted annual physicals herself, at times including the dreaded prostate check, that had them thanking their stars Janet was a small woman, with small fingers.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Janet was surprised to see that she recognized the visiting Tok'ra. She'd met him at what used to be the Alpha Site. She'd be the one to perform the post-mortem examination on his friend and fellow Tok'ra, Ocker.
"Malek," Janet kindly greeted the tall, brown haired Tok'ra. "Colonel Dixon says you're looking for General Carter."
"Doctor Fraiser," he acknowledged her with a slight smile. "It is gratifying to see you restored to good health. Selmak had mentioned you were severely wounded in a great battle with the Goa'uld. It grieved us to learn of this as you have helped treat many of our wounded in the past."
Janet was taken aback by the short and complimentary speech. It wasn't every day the Tok'ra gave anyone kudos for anything. "Thank you, Malek. It's good to be back to work."
Dave signaled behind him. "If you don't need me, Doc, I'll be in the control room with Graham."
She nodded in assent. She looked back at Malek and gestured for him to take a seat. "May I ask why you are looking for him? Last I spoke to him, Jacob said he and Selmak parted badly with the council."
"This is true," Malek admitted. "He and Delek have never seen eye to eye and Thoran was innately suspicious of the Tau'ri's unwillingness to blend with a Tok'ra. They could not understand Selmak's affection for your people. But I have always regarded Selmak as a friend, and Jacob Carter is an honorable man who has also become a confidant. I was on a long term mission when they left. I was only told of Selmak's condition by Freya once I returned."
"Did Freya tell you that Selmak didn't have long?"
"I'd assumed as much since he chose to leave when he did. I knew that Selmak felt a great deal of affection for Jacob's children and would want to spend his last days in their presence." Malek leaned forward from his seat. "Tell me, what is his condition?"
"Well, normally, I would only discuss a patient's condition with their immediate family members, but since you're the closest thing to family Selmak has, I can say that it isn't good… at the moment."
Malek frowned in confusion. "I don't understand. Selmak is dying of advanced age."
"Yes. He is. Or at least, was."
"Explain."
Janet proceeded to recount what occurred to Jacob and Selmak, up to and including the Asgard's potential treatment. She was a bit vague on the details, not wanting to reveal too much of their own involvement with the process.
"That is astounding. Such a treatment could help so many of my kind."
"How so?"
"We are a dying race, Doctor Fraiser. So many are lost during missions and quite simply, through old age. We have no means of propagating ourselves, to create a new generation of Tok'ra that will carry on our legacy. I would be curious to speak with the Asgard, if they would consider sharing this technology."
"I wouldn't jump the gun. This procedure is still in its infancy. We still don't know if Jacob will recover or how much neural damage might have been sustained by both him and Selmak."
"Forgive my enthusiasm, Doctor Fraiser. The scientist in me cannot help but explore the possibilities."
"You sound like Sam."
"I believe she is very much like her father," Malek pointed out.
"The way those two argue, you're probably right," Janet had to concede.
Reverting briefly to physician mode, she noted the dusty leather clothes and despite his good mood, the slight slump to his shoulders. Malek looked exhausted.
"I don't mean to pry, Malek, but did you come immediately to Earth after you learned of Selmak's condition?"
He gave her a sheepish smile. "I confess, I had not a chance to clean up after my mission. Freya was not sure how far gone Selmak would be. I apologize for my soiled attire," he looked down at his dirtied and damaged un-Tok'ra clothing. He'd been posing as a minor Goa'uld in service of another Goa'uld who was in service to Ba'al. He'd been marginally clean when he'd made his escape, but the planet hopping to the Tok'ra base had taken its toll.
"General Hammond won't be back on duty until this evening, and I don't know when Sam will be back, maybe it'd be a good idea for you to get cleaned up? You look to be about the same size as a lot of the men here, you're welcome to change into BDUs. We have VIP quarters you can use to rest while you wait."
Malek opened his mouth, a refusal on the tip of his tongue, but he knew it was his pride that wanted to object. He really should get cleaned up before he met with the General and if possible to see Selmak. "I would be grateful, Doctor Fraiser," he said instead.
"Great!" She stood up and lead him out of the conference room.
Since he was taking them up on their offer of respite, he asked: "Might I also trouble you for something to eat? I fear the day has been very long, and I cannot remember the last time I took sustenance."
Janet looked up at him and tried to suppress her amusement at his formal tone. "Malek, you've come to the right place."
"Do the Tau'ri always prepare such a huge feast in their military base?" Malek asked after wiping his mouth with a napkin, having devoured everything on his plate.
After getting cleaned up and changed into a black short sleeved shirt and blue BDU pants, he met Janet at the commissary on Level 22.
"We like to have variety in our diet, yes. This facility has to feed a lot of personnel. We have teams coming in at all hours, so it's not uncommon to have food being served through most of the day. There's also smaller cold meals available late at night. We call those 'snacks'. The hot meals are prepared at breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon and dinner just after dark, our main communal eating times," Janet explained to the off-worlder, who probably had no idea about their customs.
"While at the Alpha Site, I did notice the Tau'ri preparing food during those hours you mentioned. It is similar to the culture my host belonged to."
"I've never met your host," Janet noted, hoping he'd do the lower of eyes thing and introduce her. "What's his name?"
Malek looked away. "We both prefer to use Malek. My host does not like to say much. To honor him, I speak as a Tok'ra so that there is no confusion that it is I whom you are speaking with rather than him."
Janet knew a loaded answer when she heard one, so chose to change the topic.
"I knew you were hungry, but what did you think of the food?"
Malek seemed to appreciate her change of direction. "It is very different from what we are used to. The flavours and textures were very pleasing. I might visit the Tau'ri base more often if this a good sample of what is usually prepared."
"It's usually pretty bad, but General O'Neill insisted on upgrading the mess facilities along with the cooking staff when he took over command from General Hammond. It's very difficult to find good people with a high enough security clearance trained in that discipline. The General somehow managed to find a head chef that prepares the menu… um the the sort of food to be prepared… Master DuLac used to be an enlisted soldier in our military."
"I find it curious that the majority of your population are unaware of the existence of life outside your planet. The number of times the Goa'uld has attempted to enslave it, yet the populace is oblivious to the danger and remains free."
"There but for the grace of god, go I…"
Malek looked puzzled.
Janet shrugged in dismissal. "It's just a Tau'ri expression. It means we've been extraordinarily lucky, maybe due to divine intervention, who knows… But somehow we're still here."
The Tok'ra saw two men dressed completely in white, wearing hats that protruded like a cylinder on top of their heads. They were pushing a small metal table with wheels. The table was filled with small plates covered with transparent domes.
Janet saw what Malek was looking at and gave the Tok'ra a knowing look. "I'm sure you've visited planets that served cake before."
"The Goa'uld are not overly fond of sweet things and the Tok'ra do not have access to such luxuries. We eat merely to sustain."
"Well if we'd known we could use cake as a bargaining tool, I'm sure General O'Neill would've used it as means to keep the alliance intact."
The dissolution of the Tauri/Tok'ra/Jaffa alliance was still a sore point for all involved. The Jaffa felt that the Tok'ra abandoned the fight to save their own skin. Jack, never a big fan of the Tok'ra, agreed with the Jaffa, but sort of understood where the Tok'ra were coming from. Unlike the Jaffa who had strength in numbers, the Tok'ra were a dying breed and simply throwing bodies at the problem was not an option.
"Indeed," Malek grinned, transforming his always serious face into a young and handsome one.
Janet averted her eyes, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable by her sudden need to oggle. Her fascination lay in that the few Tok'ra she'd met in the past had always been foreboding and down right arrogant. Malek, well at least in his treatment of her, seemed to be changing her impression of his kind.
Sergei Ustinov sighed in relief as he read the the short and succinct message from Orlov. He met the expectant eyes of Doctor Jackson and informed him of their orders.
"Oh, thank god!" Daniel exclaimed. He'd been unable to sit still or rest since they'd lost communication from Jack. Orlov's assurances that he would 'take care of things' had done nothing to soothe his beyond frayed nerves.
"Let's get this show on the road," Paul said in agreement.
They helped Sergei load up their new vehicle, a 4x4 monstrosity that could accommodate the huge stash of weaponry they need to have at their disposal. The arsenal the jeep carried resembled a small country's weapons depot.
"You sure we're gonna need all this?" Daniel whispered to Paul. "Seems a bit like overkill."
"If you want a fair fight, don't over-prepare."
Daniel looked at Paul in confusion, as if asking, if that was another one of those silly military logic that still confounded civilians like him.
"'If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly'," Paul quoted.
Sergei, having heard the last of the exchange, slapped the colonel on the back in a show of camaraderie. "Well said, tovarich." He handed Daniel a thermos filled with coffee for the road.
Daniel smiled in gratitude at Sergei's thoughtful gesture and looked at both men. "To an unfair fight!" he said raising the thermos as a toast, suddenly feeling assured.
Paul and Sergei broke into grins and repeated the sentiment, hoping the mantra would hold true.
Of all the other Tok'ras apart from Selmak, I liked Malek the best. Allegiance is one of my favourite episodes. He's also not bad looking ;-) What do guys think of his arrival at the SGC?
